


At the Other End

by jeien



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Angst, Future Fic, M/M, Threesome - M/M/M, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-29
Updated: 2016-01-29
Packaged: 2018-05-17 02:44:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5851087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeien/pseuds/jeien
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Since Kagami and Aomine were completely and irreversibly in love with each other, all that was left for Kuroko to hold onto was the hope that they wouldn’t leave him behind—and even that had been slipping away from his grasp.</p>
            </blockquote>





	At the Other End

**Author's Note:**

> This had been sitting on my computer for about four or five months because I kept procrastinating on the sex scene. And since I had such a hard time with it, I just skipped it altogether. Maybe some other time lol. 
> 
> This fic has a playlist, by the way! [Click here to take a listen!](http://8tracks.com/jeien/at-the-other-end)

The hallway in his dreams seemed to stretch on indefinitely. He could only watch them walk towards the light on the other side while he was rooted in place.

Kuroko opened his eyes to a ringing alarm—memories of the hallway, their backs, and that brilliantly burning light not quite fading into the subconscious. He forced himself out of bed, dragging his feet as they dragged along the burden of another day. If he didn’t hurry, he would be late for his meet-up with Kagami and Aomine.

There was a part of him that had always known those two would end up dating. Up until then—which was soon after they had all graduated college and were pursuing their adult careers as an assistant university professor, a fireman, and a policeman—Kuroko had clung onto the delusion that the dynamic they all shared would never change. Yet since Kagami and Aomine were completely and irreversibly in love with each other, all that was left for Kuroko to hold onto was the hope that they wouldn’t leave him behind—and even that had been slipping away from his grasp.

But tenacity was in Kuroko’s blood, so when the golden opportunity presented itself, he took control of it. Of course, their dynamic changed. He didn’t care as much now, though. He was still a part of it. That was all that mattered.

He was the last to arrive at Maji Burger. By the time he crossed the fast food restaurant’s threshold, he could already hear Kagami and Aomine arguing about which university teams will advance in the season’s tournament brackets.

“Please try to tone it down,” Kuroko said, coming into the seating area with his vanilla shake in hand. The pair immediately jumped at his sudden appearance. “You might get us kicked out.”

Aomine fumbled to compose himself and coughed into his hand. “Well, since Tetsu’s finally here, can we go now?”

“Gimme a sec,” Kagami said, shoving the last bite of his burger into his mouth. “Okay, let’s head for the court.”

This part of them never changed; those two were basketball idiots, after all. On the other hand, he had given up his pursuit of the sport after high school—it wasn’t like his specialization in passing would be as useful in the university division as it was in the high school division. So while Kagami and Aomine raged on like beasts engaging in a strange courtship ritual, Kuroko contended himself with watching by the sidelines. He doesn’t comment, doesn’t interrupt, doesn’t try to force himself into the intimate space they created for themselves. His time will come later: in Kagami’s bedroom, lights off, doors locked, surrounded by shadows that Kuroko felt he had always been a part of.

They had practically torn each other’s clothes off, letting them drop on the floor along with the weight of the stresses and frustrations that came with waiting for this moment. Kuroko shared a brief kiss with Kagami before his lips latched onto his neck, nipping and sucking, while his hands stroked Kuroko’s cock. Aomine, meanwhile, turned Kuroko’s head to face him and stole his breath away with messy, open-mouthed kisses. His tongue aggressively intruded and conquered every bit of Kuroko’s mouth that he could while his calloused hands tweaked his former light’s nipples. Aomine delighted in the whimpers and whines that came with each ministration and he craved for more to spill from those usually quiet lips.

By the time they all made it to the bed, their lengths were swollen red with arousal. Kuroko bit his lower lip—he could feel his own cock twitch with anticipation of being completely filled.

“Who do you want to fuck you senseless tonight, Tetsu?” Aomine asked, voice dipping into a low growl. It made Kuroko shiver, hearing those filthy words so close to his ear.

“Oi,” Kagami interrupted, roughly thumbing the tip of Aomine’s cock. “You got to plow his ass last time. Tonight’s my turn.”

Aomine tightened his fist around Kagami’s hair in response, pleased at the soft hiss he got. “It’s Tetsu’s choice.”

“Unfair little shi—”

“Both,” Kuroko croaked out, voice cracking slightly. Kagami and Aomine froze as they watched his pale fingers reach down between his legs to work his hole open wider. “I want both… inside…”

“Naughty Tetsu,” Aomine cooed. He pulled himself away to reach back into the bedside drawers and rummaged around before tossing a bottle of lube at Kagami, who caught it with ease. He uncapped the bottle and spread the substance all over his fingers before moving Kuroko’s hand aside, rimming his entrance and plunging two fingers into the tight heat.

“Kagami-kun,” Kuroko gasped, rutting back against Kagami’s finger to force them deeper in. Kagami licked his lips, moving closer to suck on Kuroko’s perked nipple; his other hand continued to stroke Aomine’s erection in long, languid movements.

“Dammit, Kagami,” Aomine growled after a while, voice low and thick with lust, “get on with it already. He’s loose enough by now—look how much he wants it.”

“Alright, alright…”

Whenever they finish—whether it’s after one round or two or five—the three of them fall into a deep sleep. At least they do in theory. Kuroko remained awake, no matter how roughly they took him or how tired he was. He observed the contended faced of his lights, unable to help the green hue wash over his vision.

He finally slips out of bed, killing the desire for anything more than what he already has, and headed home after dressing himself and making sure it was like he was never there.

The next morning found Kuroko meeting with Ogiwara for the first time since he graduated college. Ogiwara had gone straight for the work force after high school, so while they did keep in contact through emails and text messages, they rare had a chance to meet up until now. The last time was when they went to Ogiwara’s apartment with Mochida to celebrate Kuroko’s acceptance into grad school.

“You’ve really grown up,” Kuroko commended. His eyes took in the broad shoulders, angled jaw, and stubble. Ogiwara really did look like a salaryman. “If I didn’t know any better, I might not have recognized you.”

“You’ve grown up too, even if you don’t look like it,” Ogiwara said with a laugh, motioning to his neck.

Kuroko reached back to touch the spot Ogiwara referred to and clicked his tongue. He was lucky the department didn’t need him at the university today—otherwise, everyone would’ve started to talk. He adjusted his collar as the waitress brought out their order: two cups of black coffee.

“So you’ve finally got yourself a lover, Kuroko?” Ogiwara asked with a broad grin.

Kuroko thanked the waitress before answering, “You can say that.”

“Is it Kagami?”

“Partly.”

“Partly?”

“Aomine-kun is the other part,” he replied, casually taking a small sip of his coffee. Ogiwara, on the other hand, nearly choked.

“All _three_ of you?”

“Well, to clarify, Aomine-kun and Kagami-kun are the ones dating each other.” The words practically dried Kuroko’s mouth as they left his lips. He grimaced a little and took a larger sip. Actually saying it always hurt a little. “My part in that relationship is purely physical.”

“But you’re not the type of person to just settle for being a convenient fuck buddy. Why would you do this if you don’t—?”

“Love them?” He set the cup down and stared straight into Ogiwara’s eyes. A shiver ran down Ogiwara’s spine and he found himself unconsciously swallowing from nervousness—he hadn’t meant to set Kuroko off. “I do love them. I love them so much that, when they were at their wits’ end because they couldn’t compromise on their bedroom situation, I offered myself to facilitate in those matters. You know them—they’re both stubborn and stupid and even the most trivial matters somehow get blown out of proportion. They were on the verge of a falling out. I helped calm the waters and kept them together.”

“But doesn’t—doesn’t that mean they love you? Letting you be a part of something so intimate…”

“I don’t know. Maybe I never _will_ know.” Kuroko rummaged through his pockets and fished out a five-hundred-yen bill to pay for his coffee. “But they don’t love me like they love each other. They just love the control. They can’t dominate each other, so they dominate me instead. I don’t mind it this way.”

“Kuroko, we’re not kids anymore,” Ogiwara said. “You, of all people, should know how unhealthy this is—how twisted it is. It’s not fair to you.”

“I’m using them as much as they’re using me, so I would say it’s quite fair,” Kuroko responded, rising from his seat. “I want to monopolize them. That’s why I stay. I’m tired of being left behind.”

“Kuroko—!”

“Thank you for spending this time with me, Ogiwara-kun,” Kuroko interrupted, “but I should get going.”

Ogiwara also stood and left cash for his drink. He looked at Kuroko with a similar expression during his junior high match against Teikou, only this time his heart broke for something else. “Isn’t… isn’t there any way I can help you?”

Kuroko only gave him a rueful smile before walking away. He checked his cell phone after crossing the street and was relieved to find a text from Kagami, telling him to just come directly to his apartment.

Perhaps Ogiwara’s words rattled him enough that it opened up the doors that caged his own wild side. It made him bold enough to take them both into his mouth, not caring about the tears prickling the corners of his eyes from having his mouth fucked so roughly.

“Tetsu,” Aomine groaned, holding onto Kagami’s shoulder as he jerked his hips forward, “what’s gotten into you?”

“Yeah,” Kagami grunted, “this isn’t—nngh—like you at all.”

He let their stiff cocks slip out of his mouth with an obscene pop and smiled. “I wanted to try something new.”

He was eager that night. He was needier. He was desperate.

They rode off the high of their climaxes as they would any other night. It was never their style to cuddle or murmur sweet nothings to each other after sex. Kagami and Aomine’s relationship was just an extension of their rivalry, so usually they would just sleep after they were satisfied. And it worked for them. So when Kagami and Aomine fell back onto the mattress, with Kuroko loosely held between them, he couldn’t help but feel nervous. _It’s just a coincidence_ , he thought. _Don’t misconstrue it as anything else_.

He slipped out from under their arms and slid down the bed, careful not to rouse their man from sleep. He used his feet to sift through the haphazard pile of clothes—he wasn’t confident in bending over to pick them up—and lazily dressed himself. _It’s just a coincidence_ , he kept telling himself. _But maybe—?_

“Kuroko…?”

“Go back to sleep, Kagami-kun,” he whispered, buttoning up his shirt.

Kagami propped himself up by the elbows and blinked a few times to refocus his gaze. “Where’re you going? Just stay the night. It’s Saturday tomorrow, anyway.”

“Not so loud, Kagami-kun; you might wake him.” There was an unsettling feeling bubbling up in his stomach. He needed to leave. “It’ll be better if I go home.”

“But why?”

“Wh’s goin’ on…?” Aomine drawled, turning his head away from the pillow. _Wonderful_ , Kuroko thought bitterly, _they’re both up_.

“Just sleep, both of you—”

“He’s leaving,” Kagami interrupted, now fully awake. Aomine blearily opened his eyes and forced himself to sit up with a yawn.

“Hah? Why? ‘s late as hell and all the trains are done for the day.”

“That’s why taxis exist.” That was a lie: he usually walked home after their trysts. “I’ll be _fine_ , really.”

“Just stay and save yourself the money,” Aomine said, yawning.

Kagami nodded. “You never stay anyway.”

The words tore into his heart and he gritted his teeth. He wanted to stay, to get a little closer each time, and delude himself into thinking that maybe he actually could. He wanted to solidify his place in their lives. But he remembers the hallway in his dreams. He remembers what he is.

A shadow.

“Don’t make this into something it isn’t,” Kuroko spat out. His lip quivered as he softened his voice and added as an afterthought, as a prayer, “Please.”

“Something it—what?”

“I’m not…” He cut himself off, huffing out a sigh. The tears pricked his eyes again and he could feel that fragile balance he fought so hard to maintain crack. “I’m not your boyfriend or your lover or whatever other synonyms there are. I thought I could be with the two of you, at least in these moments when you’re using my body. I even dreamed of moments where I could stay within the same realm of intimacy with you two outside of this room. But I don’t belong here with the both of you—because you love each other so much and in a way I could never understand or be a part of.”

Kuroko let out a shaky laugh. “Maybe I deserve this. For forgetting my place. For being greedy. I’m sorry.”

“Oi, Kuroko—!”

He rushed out of the room without a second thought. Nothing Kagami or Aomine could say would help things. Kuroko forced his feet into his shoes and left the apartment before either of them could catch up. It was painful—breaking out of their gravitation like that. But it was for the best. They should have found a way to compromise their troubles. He never should have intruded.

His legs led him to Ogiwara’s apartment, twenty minutes away. The lights were still on. He ran up the stairs to the second floor with what little strength he had left and knocked on the door.

“Do you have any idea what time it i—Kuroko?”

“I went and did it,” Kuroko said, tears finally trickling down his face. “I ruined everything.”

Ogiwara ushered him inside and set him up on the couch. Mochida came in from the bedroom soon after and, thankfully, didn’t ask any questions. Kuroko kindly accepted their offer to use the bath—he still smelled like the night’s activities with Kagami and Aomine. He would rather not be swimming in their scent; he was already drowning in regret from letting his true feelings slip through his lips just a short time before. He changed into Ogiwara’s spare clothes afterwards and fell into a deep sleep.

He dreamed of the hallway again. The light at the other end was dimmer, Kagami and Aomine were farther away, and—for the first time in these recurring dreams—he could move.

Kuroko turned away from them, from the light, and let himself be overcome by the shadows.

**Author's Note:**

> I've been noticing a trend with my KNB fics that they're not necessarily happy 100% of the time. I wonder if that'll change in the future. But I mean, everyone else is writing super awesome and fluffy fics in my stead, so I'm not even sure I can write one well. 
> 
> Anyway, thank you for reading!


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